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For paint on my wheel, I used Rustoleum Auto primer (flat black) then Rustoleum satin black for final coats. IMHO its the perfect interior black (not too shiny and not too flat). Also it's in the rattle can section of any hardware store. One week in-between final coats at room temp for complete cure...any sooner and you are tempting fate with the paint crinkling in places...something about the active curing ingredient. No clear coat at all. Its tough as nails. PRL
BTW-Do yourself a favor and build a small rig where you can bolt the wheel to something that allows it to spin. I used one of those stolen square rigid plastic milk cartons holders that you find behind very 7-11. It will allow you to hold the wheel firm while grinding and really helps when painting. Doing the job with the wheel loose on a bench is madness.

Seafoam...why such a JB Weld hater? I love that stuff. I'm sure there are specific "steering wheel products" but their base elements are...two part epoxy. I've seen the steering wheel repair kits for $100 bucks at Eastwood and elsewhere. Basically, you get a little paper mixing cup, a popsicle stick, some instructions and two tubes of... two part epoxy. I'm a big JB fan. Five years later, my wheel is still holding up really well. Ironically, the only flaw in the wheel is wheel is where I used a two stick (putty sticks-not in a tube) epoxy product made by Loctite. Back when I repaired my wheel, I used JB on all of it except a deeper flaw that I figured the Loctite putty formula might work better. Mistake. If I could do it all again, I'd go JB all the way. Also as I age personally, I am considering applying JB Weld to some of my own aching joints and bones. PRL

I redid the wheel in my 63 and IMHO JB weld is the best option for filling cracks in a steering wheel. Get a Dremel tool and grind out the crack, make sure it's really clean (alcohol) fill with several applications depending upon depth of crack. JB sands and takes paint well. Also, several years ago I saw a video on Youtube about guy who restored the foil strip on a Ford wheel. Suggest you troll Youtube and se if it's still there. PRL

Coming in late on this thread. Someone asked about the American Classic 225/75-15's. I have been rolling on a set of these on my 63 for almost 5 years. Nice ride, good whitewall, no squawks. Get them from Coker. PRL

For what its worth, I've had good luck with a Dust Top car cover from California Car Covers. It's a hybrid material for indoor use. It's light and fits well on my 63 once I cut out the antenna hole. No mirror pockets. Soft on the inside. Spendy...about $245 as I recall. In Texas, my big issue was dust. The older my car covers got, they became dust magnets and packed lots of static. The Dust Top cured the problem. PRL

This is what's weird about our hobby. I spent countless hours researching and even trying used tanks. Then I spent countless hours researching custom tanks. Then I spent countless hours seeking substitute reproduction tanks and found a Tempest one from Quanta that would fit. Then I spent countless hours figuring out how to retrofit the sender hole and filler neck. Then I spent countless hours welding on the sender hole and filler neck from an old Riv tank. Now Seafoam is gonna order one in a box and bolt it right up in the Fall. It's the countless hours. I'm just saying. PRL

Surfgeek-All the advice listed above is dead on. The practical aspects of owning a vintage car are very real and deserve careful consideration. That's the practical, let me tell you about the magic. There is nothing like driving a vintage car, especially one as unique as a Riv. The sound, the smell and the visceral experience can be intoxicating. Once you own one, your perspective about driving is forever altered. Any old car is sort of a trip back in time, but not all cars are equal. Go for it! PRL

I'm with Konga, if your engine is running fine (good compression etc) you don't need to add anything. IMHO, Seafoam and MMO should only be considered for an engine with a condition (like a noisy lifter or has been siting for a long time) that you are willing to experiment with a remedy as a prelude to committing to a rebuild. PRL

I had the same problem. Dirt. I'm agreeing with the posts above. Makes the jets and floats stick. Easy test...Try rigging up a fuel line to a jerry can of gas. Disconnect all fuel lines from the carb. Blow out the carb with air and carb cleaner. Hook the carb up to the jerry can. Put the jerry can up high so gravity pushes fuel to the carb. Let it run for a while. In my case, it ran great like this. As soon as I hooked back up to the conventional lines, it ran like crap. I also had the thought provoking fuel fountain spilling gas all over the engine. No smoking please. Worked for me. Worth a try. PRL

From the sound of things, your motor is probably fine. It's amazing what a difference that thick washer can make. The washer took most of the brunt of the damage in my case. The universal plate I mentioned is probably better described as a pulley holder. I bought one of the OTC Stinger products (on Amazon, Summit etc.) but instead ended up using a plate type (an old friend I bought years ago at Jegs) with more hole options. Lots of guys make these out of scrap steel, pipes and I've even heard of some guys making them out of hardwood. Just find the right bolt hole configuration, bolt the plate to the balancer, put a 1/2 drive with a long handle in the square hole, gently turn the assembly with a breaker bar slowly, let it roll around so the 1/2 handle is pinned to either the floor or the frame. It won't let the motor turn. Then get out your new bad assed 250LB torque wrench and tighten to spec. I did mine without a lift. I did have to remove the fan shroud and upper/lower hoses. Without a lift, you'll need to twist the nut to 220 from the top to get leverage. Good luck. PRL

I just went through this about two years ago. In my case, I lucked out because the harmonic balancer was working its way loose and I caught it early. I now know that a slight chirp is an early indicator of such a problem and can be heard before you notice any wobble in the pulleys. I kept looking for the source of the chirping noise thinking maybe it was the compressor. Pretty soon I noticed a wobble and the motor ran horribly under a load. The Nailhead Shop in CA is the best source for parts. I suggest getting a new nut and washer spec'd specifically for a Nailhead which they sell. Also, make sure you clean the nose of the crank, inspect for buggered threads and the keyway must be clean and the key cannot be chewed up. If you don't have a torque wrench that will do 220, get one and don't try to use a cheater bar or a pipe to get leverage because that will mess with the actual torque delivered. You'll need a universal crankshaft plate so you can keep the torque (at 220) from actually spinning the motor while you are tightening. The plate basically bolts to the balancer, gets braced against something solid like the frame and allows you to tighten up to 220. I've since heard that bad mechanics don't use one, simply tightening the nut until the motor spins and quit. That's why they come loose. 220 is more than most mechanics know to torque the nut...so they don't. Last, I suggest using (very sparingly) some Loctite. Some say green, some say red...either way you'll probably need heat to get it off again if you ever need to if you use Loctite. PRL